Archive for June, 2009
Hard Disk Performance Is Slower Than You Expect
By pooja at 23 June, 2009, 5:31 am
After you install Microsoft Windows XP, hard disk performance may be slower than you expect.
Note: Hard disk performance may be even slower when your computer performs many small hard disk read/write operations.
Cause
This behavior may occur in the following situation:
You use Small Computer System Interface (SCSI) hard disks in the computer.
-and-
The hard disks are formatted as NTFS.
Resolution
A supported fix is now available from Microsoft, but it is only intended to correct the problem described in this article and should be applied only to systems experiencing this specific problem. This fix may receive additional testing at a later time, to further ensure product quality. Therefore, if you are not severely affected by this problem, Microsoft recommends that you wait for the next Windows XP service pack that contains this fix.
To resolve this problem immediately, contact Microsoft Product Support Services to obtain the fix. For a complete list of Microsoft Product Support Services phone numbers and information about support costs, please go to the following address on the World Wide Web:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;EN-US;CNTACTMS
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Loading ...Creating a Boot Disk for an NTFS or FAT Partition
By pooja at 23 June, 2009, 5:25 am
This Windows boot disk can access a drive that has the Windows NT file system (NTFS) or File allocation table (FAT) file system installed. The procedures in this article can be useful to work around the following boot problems:
· Corrupted boot sector.
· Corrupted master boot record (MBR).
· Virus infections.
· Missing or corrupt NTLDR or Ntdetect.com.
· Incorrect Ntbootdd.sys driver.
This boot disk can also be used to boot from the shadow of a broken mirror, although you may need to change the Boot.ini file to do that. This Windows boot disk cannot be used for the following problems:
· Incorrect or corrupt device drivers that have been installed into the Windows System
directory.
· Boot problems that occur after the OSLOADER screen.
To work around or fix these problems, run the Emergency Repair disk, load the last
known good control set, or reinstall Windows, if necessary.
The Windows floppy disk must include the files NTLDR, Ntdetect.com, Boot.ini, and the correct device driver for your hard drive.
Note: The NTLDR, Ntdetect.com, and Boot.ini files usually have their file attributes set to System, Hidden, and Read-Only. You do not need to reset these attributes for this disk to work properly.
Method 1: You Do Not Have Access to a Computer Running Windows
· Create a copy of the first Windows Setup disk using the diskcopy command, and then
delete all files on the new disk.
· Copy the Ntdetect.com and NTLDR files from the i386 folder on the CD-ROM to the new
disk.
· Rename the NTLDR file to “Setupldr.bin”.· Create a Boot.ini file. The following example works for a single partition SCSI
drive with Windows installed under \WINNT; however, the exact value in the [operating
systems] section depends upon the configuration of the Windows System you want to boot:
[boot loader]
timeout=30
Default= scsi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\winnt
[operating systems]
scsi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\winnt=”Windows NT”
· If your computer boots from an IDE, EIDE, or ESDI hard drive or a SCSI adapter that
does not have a built in BIOS, replace the scsi(0) with multi(0).
If you are using scsi(x) in the Boot.ini file, copy the correct device driver for the SCSI controller in use on the computer, and then rename it to Ntbootdd.sys. If you are using multi(x) in the Boot.ini, you do not need to do this.
· Start your computer using the floppy disk, and then log on to Windows.
Method 2: You Have Access to a Computer Running Windows
· Format a floppy disk using the Windows format utility.
· Copy NTLDR from the Windows Setup CD-ROM, Windows Setup floppy disk, or from a Computer running the same version of Windows as the computer you want to access with the
boot floppy. You may need to expand this file from NTLDR._ to NTLDR by using the
following command line:
expand ntldr._ ntldr
· Copy the Ntdetect.com file to the disk.
· Create a Boot.ini file or copy one from a running Windows computer, and then modify it to match the computer you are trying to access. The following example works for a single partition SCSI drive with Windows installed under \WINNT; however, the exact value in the [operating systems] section depends upon the configuration of the Windows computer you are trying to access:
[boot loader]
timeout=30
Default= scsi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\winnt
[operating systems]
scsi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\winnt=”Windows NT”
· If your computer starts from an IDE, EIDE, or ESDI hard drive, replace the scsi(0) with multi(0).
· If you are using scsi(x) in the Boot.ini, copy the correct device driver for the SCSI controller in use on the computer, and then rename it to Ntbootdd.sys. If you are using multi(x) in the Boot.ini, you do not need to do this.
· Start using the floppy disk, and then log on to Windows.
Troubleshooting
You may encounter one or more of the following problems when you attempt to start your computer using your Windows boot floppy disk:
If the path pointing to the system files is incorrect or includes the drive letter, you may receive the following error message:
Windows could not start because of the following ARC firmware boot configuration problem: Did not properly generate ARC name for HAL and system paths. Please check the Windows (TM) documentation about ARC configuration options and your hardware reference manuals for additional information. Boot Failed.
If an incorrect SCSI driver has been selected or the Ntbootdd.sys file does not exist, you may receive the following message:
Windows could not start because of a computer disk hardware configuration problem.
Could not read from selected boot disk. Check boot path and disk hardware. Please check the Windows (TM) documentation about hardware disk configuration and your hardware disk configuration and your hardware reference manuals for additional information. Boot Failed.
Change the Logon Window and the Shutdown Preferences in Windows XP Setup configures Windows XP to use the friendly Welcome logon screen and the shutdown buttons, if your computer is installed as a home computer (a computer where a network domain has not been specified).
This article describes how you can enable the classic logon screen used by Windows XPServer that resembles the following example:
Log On to Windows
User name: _____________
Password: _____________
To temporarily use the classic logon screen, press Ctrl+Alt+Del twice on the Welcome logon screen.
To configure Windows XP to use the classic logon and shutdown screens for every logon session, do the following:
· Click Start, and then click Control Panel.
· Double-click User Accounts.
· Click Change the way users log on or off.
· Click to clear the Use the Welcome screen check box.
Note: If you disable the Welcome logon screen, you also disable the Fast User Switching option
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...How to Find, Download and Install missing DLL .DLL file / files
By Alex at 15 June, 2009, 2:45 pm
How to find a missing DLL file and install it. www.dll-downloads.com
Technorati Tags: dll, dll-files, files, missing, dot dll, .dll
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...Add Printer To Network
By ComputerRepair.com | Computer Repair Help and Information at 15 June, 2009, 12:53 pm
How Do I Put A Printer On My Network?
Starting up an office for a small business means doing a lot of things yourself. If you have networked computers together, then you can set up a printer on the network for everybody to use.
Sometimes manufacturers will package a setup disk with the printer. Simply run the setup disk and follow the instructions. After the printer has been configured, you can add to your PC via your “Add Printers” program.
If your printer didn’t come with a setup disk, you can manually add it to your network. Network printers have a LAN (RJ-45) port, which looks like a phone jack but larger.
Here’s a photo of a LAN port:
1. Simply plug the LAN cable from your printer into your network hub. After you connect the printer into the hub, turn the printer on. The printer will need a few minutes to boot and perform self tests.
2. Once it has warmed up, print out a configuration page. You should be able to do this by pressing a sequence of buttons on the printer (Check your manual for directions).
3. The printer should be set to automatically get an IP address from your network. The configuration page that you printed out will show you the IP address that was assigned. The IP address will be a series of numbers. It is a unique set of numbers that has been assigned to your network by your internet service provider.
4. Once you have the IP address, you can enter it into the address bar of a web browser. You will be taken to a screen that will allow you to setup the specifics of your network for sharing the printer.
By either setting it up manually or following the setup disk, you should be able to hook up your printer to the network without any trouble.
Having Trouble Connecting Your Printer? Get Expert Help Now!
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...Maintain Windows XP Performance
By ComputerRepair.com | Computer Repair Help and Information at 10 June, 2009, 12:11 pm
How To Keep Your Computer Speedy
If you are running of Microsoft Windows XP and your computer seems slow, there are things you can do to help you tune up your system — and hopefully restore some or all of your lost performance. In no particular order, here are some things that should be done every so often to keep your system running at top speed.
Free Up Wasted Space
A good way to recover wasted disk space is to use the Disk Cleanup tool by following these steps:
1. Open My Computer
2. Right-click Local Disk
3. Click Properties
4. On the General tab, click the Disk Cleanup button. The Disk Cleanup function will spend a few minutes examining your disk.
5. After the “examination”, the Disk Cleanup dialog box will open.
6. Select the desired check boxes in the Files to Delete list. Our suggestion would be to select any temporary files that you may have.
7. Once you select your files, click OK. Disk Cleanup will spend several minutes clearing space. If you have more than one hard disk, repeat this process for each hard disk listed in My Computer.
Remove Unused Programs
Unused programs can take up valuable space on your computer. They might also be clogging up your registry and hogging valuable system resources. If you aren’t using them, you can get rid of them.
1. Go to Start Menu
2. Select Settings
3. Select Control Panel
4. Select Add or Remove Programs
5. Select Programs that you do not use and click the “Remove” button
Defragment Hard Drives
Over time, the files on your drives become more and more fragmented. When a file is fragmented, it takes longer for the computer to read it because it has to skip to different sections of the hard disk. Defragmenting your drives may take some time, but if your files are significantly fragmented, defragging can give you a pretty nice performance boost. The Windows XP defragmentation tool is pretty good to use and gets the job done. To access it:
1. Open My Computer
2. Right-click Local Disk
3. Click Properties
4. On the Tools tab, click Defragment Now
5. After the Disk Defragmenter opens, click your first hard disk, and then click Defragment Disk Defragmenter will work for at least several minutes, though it may take several hours. If you have more than one hard disk, repeat this process for each hard disk.
If you want to upgrade (for free) to a better defragging tool, you can try Auslogic’s Disk Defrag tool at http://www.auslogics.com. From their site: “Auslogics Disk Defrag is extremely simple to use, does not require any analysis phase and is faster than most of the other disk defragmentation software. It will help you get the maximum performance out of your expensive hardware investments. And, what’s most important, it’s absolutely free.”
Update Hardware Drivers
Make sure you have installed the latest versions of all your hardware drivers. Usually these can be downloaded directly from your computer manufacturer’s website but if you have added components like a printer to your computer, you may need to go to the company’s website for the drivers. You can use your favorite search engine to find your computer manufacturer’s website.
Add Memory
If you don’t have at least 512MB of RAM on your computer and you are running Windows XP, you are suffering needlessly. If the memory for your system is fairly inexpensive, you should consider upgrading to 2GB or 4GB for the best performance. To see how much RAM your computer has:
1. Go to Start Menu
2. Select Settings
3. Select Control Panel
4. Select System
5. Your RAM specs should be on the “General” tab
6. Contact your computer’s manufacture to learn more about add more memory.
Install Latest Updates
Make sure you have the latest and greatest operating system updates and service packs installed.
1. Go To Start Menu
2. Select Windows Update
Following any or any of these tips will help speed up Windows XP running on your computer or laptop.
Need Someone To Speed Up Your Computer? Get Expert Help Now!
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...Live from WWDC 2009
By Sondra_Magness at 8 June, 2009, 5:41 pm
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...How to Perform Disk Error Checking in Windows XP
By pooja at 6 June, 2009, 7:04 am
- Double-click My Computer, and then right-click the hard disk drive that you want to check.
- Click Properties, and then click Tools.
- Under Error-checking, click Check Now.
- Click Start.
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...Disable Automatic Windows Update
By pooja at 6 June, 2009, 7:02 am
- Open the System icon in Control Panel (or right-click My Computer and select Properties), and choose the Automatic Updating tab.
- To check for updates manually, open Internet Explorer and select Windows Update from the Tools menu.
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...Administrators group to complete this procedure.
By pooja at 6 June, 2009, 6:58 am
For a great way to put your digital photos to work, try creating a slide show presentation for use as a screen saver.
- Right-click an empty spot on your desktop, and then click Properties.
- Click the Screen Saver tab.
- In the Screen saver list, click My Pictures Slideshow.
- Click Settings to make any adjustments, such as how often the pictures should change, what size they should be, and whether you’ll use transition effects between pictures, and then click OK.
Now your screen saver is a random display of the pictures taken from your My Pictures folder.
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...Tether an iPhone to your Windows Mac or Lunix PC
By Alex at 1 June, 2009, 4:25 pm
This Video shows you a quick hack to enable tethering on your iPhone running the 3.0 software.
Warning: This technically voids your contract, so use at your own risk!
Technorati Tags: Apple iPhone, PC, Free Internet, Smart Phones, Consumer Electronics, Personal Technology, WIFI Hack
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